de Loutherbourg, Philipp Jakob “Lake of Wyndermere.” From "Romantic and Picturesque Scenery of England and Wales...."

Philipp Jakob de Loutherbourg (1740-1812).  “Lake of Wyndermere.”  From Romantic and Picturesque Scenery of England and Wales.... 

London: Robert Bowyer, 1805.  9 x 12 ½ (image).  Aquatint with original hand coloring.  Very good condition. 

Philipp Jakob de Loutherbourg was a well established French artist, known for his paintings of landscapes and animals, and working very much in the vein of the Romantic school at the end of the eighteenth century.  In 1771 he moved to London where he eventually became a member of the Royal Academy and received a number of commissions for varied work.  One project was this splendid series of British views.  The series is topographical to the extent that specific places are named and even described with accompanying text.  But as the title indicates, the emphasis is very much on “Romantic and Picturesque” renderings.  In keeping with the priorities of the period, de Loutherbourg has dramatized the power and excitement of nature, and has subsumed man and his structures under this natural drama.  The skillful drawing and printing, along with the fluid and soft color, enhance this sense of freshness and excitement.